Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

     Last month I wrote an article about offering thanks to others for what you have, for what they bring, beginning with the small things.  If you would permit me, I would like to replicate that from a different perspective.  Allow me to elaborate.

     I had the pleasure of screening one of my favorite movies of all time with my three boys the other night.  The dim lighting fueled the buttery-salty filled atmosphere as we munched on some gourmet popcorn, sipped ice-cold Coca-Cola, laughed and cried as Steve Martin showed some kind of strange unconditional love to a complete stranger as life or something like it presented him practically stuck together on his journey from New York back to his home in Chi-town to reunite with his loving family for Thanksgiving, but what would be a brief warm flight from one port to another without concern for his gloves, took a slight detour through which he gained a powerful life-lesson as portrayed through the eyes of Director John Hughes in the holiday classic, "Planes, Trains, & Automobiles."

     I am the kind of weird guy who has since removed the term "coincidence" from my vocabulary believing that when I wind up sitting next to a chatterbox on a plane or riding along the interstate in a half burnt automobile in one degree weather with no rear view mirror or functioning turn signals, but oddly enough the radio still works, that perhaps there is more to the situation than what is currently presented and I should take note from famed comedian, Steve Martin, who in this case, despite the dire circumstances and unbelievably annoyances, lack of hygiene, and apparent obstacle to his destination, that maybe there is a grand design and we could share a little love to those who may not have it as good as we do, or are simply down on their "luck". Maybe we could completely throw them for a loop in offering help to someone who is far better off than us, and they walk away humbled by this strange unconditional love that we are willing to share with them regardless of status, dress code, or income level.

     I, like many others, would generally avoid such potential problems for fear of stepping out of my comfort zone, and in doing so missed many a blessing to other people.  The attitude which I have tried to adapt, as difficult as it is is to embrace the change for which you seek if you honestly make the decision, deciding in your heart that from here on out your life will be about something other than you, and lived out on purpose rather than accident, but then again...that’s just my humble opinion.